Lonzo Ball sat out the Los Angeles Lakers’ 128-107 preseason loss to the Denver Nuggets at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California on Wednesday. Had the game come during the regular season, though, the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA draft might have given it a go on his mildly sprained left ankle.

“My guess is yeah, he would’ve played in a regular season game,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said after the game. “Marco [Nunez, the Lakers’ head athletic trainer] told me he was out. We were prepping for the game, so I didn’t ask details as far as what went into that decision. I’ll obviously have deeper talks with Marco tonight and tomorrow.”

Ball went through warmups, but was ultimately ruled out by Nunez and the team’s training staff. Did the highly-touted rookie try to argue is way into the lineup anyway?

“I don’t know,” Walton said. “I get my information from the trainers. When I saw him this morning, he said it felt better, and then I gotta go coach the guys that are playing. And if Marco tells me he’s good to go then we throw him out there.”

Ball was one of three projected Lakers starters, along with Brandon Ingram (head contusion) and Brook Lopez (back spasms), to watch the squad drop to 0-3 in exhibition play. L.A. hopes to have all three back—and, in turn, its full starting five intact for the first time—for Sunday’s game against the Sacramento Kings at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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